This invention is directed to a hair plucking mechanism, and in particular a string tensioning and twisting mechanism for use in entraining and plucking hair.
The removal of unwanted hair from the face, hands, arms and legs has been practiced, particularly by females as a beauty treatment, over many centuries.
The many methods that have been practiced include:
shaving or scraping, in the manner widely practiced by men, using blade razors, electric shavers, and equivalents;
waxing, using a coherent wax layer to which the hair adheres;
chemical depilation, using a chemical which attacks the hair;
tweezers, seizing individual hairs for manual extraction;
electrolysis, using an electrically charged needle to kill the hair roots, individually; and
stringing, wherein a hand held string is rotated by an entrained portion of the string, held by a skilled operator to entrap and extract the hair.
These different methods each have certain advantages and disadvantages. Shaving is fast, convenient and generalized, but promotes rapid growth, and hair coarsening.
Waxing is thorough and effective, but is time consuming, messy and painful at the time of stripping the hair along with the wax.
Chemical depilation is convenient, but presents certain dangers to sensitive skins, and may be unpleasantly odiferous.
Tweezers are extremely effective, but very slow, tiresome and can be quite painful and nerve wracking.
Electrolysis requires a skilled operator and special apparatus. It is effective, but expensive and time consuming.
Stringing requires the services of a second person, skilled in manipulating the strings (a "Haffafa" in Arabic). After stringing, the rate of hair regrowth is slow, as the root usually has also been pulled; and the regrown hairs tend to become progressively finer with successive stringings. However, manual manipulation of a "string" requires the use of both hands and the mouth of the Haffafa; and virtually precludes self administration except in the simplest instances.